February 1, 2019
The UN refuses to take a position in favor of the U.S. backed coup plotter Juan Guaidó and says that in Venezuela it acts in coordination only with the government recognized by the member countries.
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesman for the secretary general of the United Nations, António Guterres, confirmed on Thursday that the states of the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Security Council recognize Nicolás Maduro as the constitutional and legitimate president of Venezuela.
For that reason, the spokesman refused to position himself in favor of the interests of the deputy of the National Assembly (AN) -in contempt-, Juan Guaidó, who on January 23 unconstitutionally proclaimed himself “president in charge” at the urging of the Trump administration. The opposition leader wrote to Guterres last Saturday, January 26, asking for the implementation of “support mechanisms” to address what he called the”humanitarian crisis” in the Bolivarian Republic.
In his response, Dujarric asserted that the UN “is ready to increase its humanitarian and development activities in Venezuela,” but for that it needs the consent and cooperation of the government,” in reference to Maduro, the only one it recognizes.
The spokesman stressed that the recognition of governments is not a function of the UN Secretary General, but of the member states, and that in its relationship with the member states it respects “the decisions” of the General Assembly and the Security Council.
In addition, he reiterated his willingness to help find a political solution to the crisis unleashed against the South America country.
As for the detention in Venezuela of three journalists from the Spanish news agency Efe, Dujarric considered it “crucial” that journalists “can report freely and their rights are fully respected”, in Venezuela as in any other country. The Venezuelan government has reiterated that those journalists have not been detained but rather came to Venezuela without proper entry papers.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza on Thursday blamed the media for the arrests, accusing them of sending employees without complying with the law and ‘then make a scandal’ against the government. The director of the agency EFE has since reported that the three have been released.
The UN spokesman also welcomed the initiative of Mexico and Uruguay to convene an international meeting with the aim of launching a political dialogue in Venezuela.
“Obviously the international community can play a key role in facilitating inclusive agreements,” the spokesman said, explaining that details are still being worked out with Guterres for a meeting with representatives of the two countries, hopefully in the next few days. According to press reports, the meeting will take place on February 7 in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo.
Although some Western and Latin American countries allied with Washington have recognized Guaidó, others such as Bolivia, Cuba, Mexico, Russia, Iran, China, Turkey and Syria have announced their full support for the Venezuelan government. Moscow and Beijing have gone so far as to block a pro-Guaidó declaration from Washington at a Security Council session.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano, translation North America bureau